Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for decorating

Let’s Talk About Something Other Than Snow

February 16, 2014 at 8:51 am by Claudia

bedroom

Let’s talk about something other than snow, alright?

How about how pretty the bedroom looks when the sun floods in through the windows? I can’t get over how pretty the bed looks with that gold coverlet. And let me tell you, almost every muscle in my body has been aching the last couple of days and that bed….that bed….sinking into that plush pillow top mattress at the end of the day has been delicious. Thank you bed, so long waited for and well worth the wait.

Let’s talk about House of Cards, Season 2, now available on Netflix. I watched four episodes yesterday and once again, I am gobsmacked by the quality of this series; the acting, the writing, the direction…everything. Simply excellent. And very Shakespearean, I might add, with echoes of Macbeth and Richard III. My three favorite series right now are: Sherlock, House of Cards and The Newsroom. Everything else I’ve seen is okay (and sometimes not at all okay) but doesn’t come close to this level of excellence. Purely personal opinion, of course.

Two of my former students are in Episodes 1 – 4, Season 2 of House of Cards, doing wonderful work. That makes me happy.

I’ve not seen one episode of Downton Abbey. I suppose I’ll watch it someday. We have the first season on DVD but have yet to open the shrink rap and it’s been sitting around here for a year. That tells you something. It’s just not calling me at the moment and, as is usually the case with me, if everyone seems to watching something and I read endless articles and posts about it, I usually stay away. Go figure.

livingroom

I’m reading Sycamore Row by John Grisham and it is taking me forever to get through that book. Now, I’ve read Grisham’s books in the past and he is a good writer. No argument there. But this book, for some reason, is not grabbing me enough to keep me reading. It’s interesting, the characters are quirky, the plot promises to be compelling but the pace is way too slow for me. I’ve made a vow to finish it and I will, but boy oh boy, it’s taking me far too long to get through this sucker.

I forgot to mention something here though I did mention it on this blog’s Facebook page. Don won a San Diego Theatre Critics/Craig Noel Award for his performance as Doolittle in Pygmalion. The awards ceremony was last Monday evening and since Don couldn’t be there, Don’s brother Ron and his wife Suzie represented him. Ron got to go up to the stage and accept the award and they filmed the announcement with their phone, so we got to see it. I’m so proud of Don. Let me tell you, he was simply brilliant in that role. I’m still in awe of that performance and I’d give anything to see it again.

Craig Noel, who died a few years ago at the age of 94, was the man who shaped the Old Globe Theatre. It simply wouldn’t be here without him. He was Don’s mentor at a time when he desperately needed one. He helped Don find his way in the theater when he was still a teenager. I worked with Craig many times and simply adored him. He was that rare man who made a difference is countless lives, who made the world a better place. He was awarded the National Medal of the Arts for his work. We miss him so much.

So, the fact that this award was named for Craig Noel is particularly poignant and powerful.

Three cheers for Don!

Note: Nora, I want to take you up on your offer of Miniology mags, but when I sent an email to your Yahoo address it came back to me. Said it was not valid. Can you email me with a valid address? Thanks so much!

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: bedroom, books, decorating, Don, television 74 Comments

Re-Thinking the Studio/Sewing Space

February 6, 2014 at 9:08 am by Claudia

Over a foot of snow on the ground here with more coming on Saturday.

My head is spinning. February, you are a cruel mistress.

Thanks go to our neighbor who, as we were sitting in the house getting ready to tackle shoveling, started to snow blow the entrance to our driveway. You know, that place where all the heavy and impossibly hard to shovel snow plow build up is. What a lifesaver! Then he proceeded to do a bit more of our driveway as we shoveled the top and the paths to the doors and the shed. Even with his help, we were out there about 2 hours. Sore backs all around.

The bed? Oh my heaven. With tired bodies and the aforementioned aching backs, we sank in to that pillow top and slept blissfully.

I’m in love.

I’ve been making a few changes to my studio/sewing space. For quite a while now, I’ve felt it was too cluttered. What I found charming a year or so ago is now just plain too much. So, since we had to move some things to get the bed up the stairs, I used that time to to reconsider what I wanted in that space. I decided to clear everything off the mantel shelf and take everything off the walls. I’d already moved the bookshelf into the bedroom (it’s right next to my side of the bed.) While I was waiting for the new bed, I repainted the mantel shelf in a lighter shade of aqua and moved Mabel out of the way of the incoming mattress, which got me considering a new place for her to live.

studio8

Note snow on skylight. Makes for a rather dim photo shoot.

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I wanted something more striking and graphic on the mantel shelf. One day I had the idea to create a display of some of my favorite egg cups, arranged in a straight line all the way across the shelf.

studio3

They always make me smile and their pastel colors look good on the aqua shelf. They are also a collection, variations of the same thing, and that makes for a more striking display. I bought that fifties-era print several years ago when I was working in San Diego. (I used that frame to display something else for a while but I decided to change it back. I missed it.)

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Hello, cheery, happy egg cups! I’m glad you’ll be right by my side when I’m sewing.

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Since I’ve been editing a bit in every room of the house, I had this pretty, but empty, frame sitting around. That adorable badge says Mockingbird Hill Cottage and I’ve always loved it, so I decided to hang it from the frame. I like it.

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Remember those frames I was painting? There were from the dollar store – made of plastic, black and silver, the usual document type frame. I painted them the same aqua as the shelf and now they display the Studios Magazine and Romantic Homes Magazine features. I don’t know if you remember, but I had these in much larger frames before and they hung over the bookcase, which used to be on this wall. This is much simpler.

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The little vintage spice shelf that holds The Lamb with the Party Hat has been moved to the right side of the sewing machine.

And I moved Mabel into the bedroom, where she remains, ready and waiting for a sewing session. The little table she was on just took up too much room in what is already a very small space. That’s the same reason I moved the bookcase. I wanted to make it easier for Don and I, especially Don, to maneuver around that corner.

Oh drat. I forgot about the Claudia program I just framed in the shadow box. I wonder if it should be part of this space?

I promise more photos when there’s light streaming in through that skylight.

Don leaves tomorrow. We’re already very sad but grateful, of course, that he has work. There will be two lonely girls here at MHC.

Don’t miss the chance to win a $1000 Target Gift Card. Visit my post on the new Cartwheel App.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: bedroom, decorating, Don, snow, studio 42 Comments

It’s Here

February 5, 2014 at 10:34 am by Claudia

A note: I have two posts today. Scroll down for my latest book review and a giveaway.

It’s here.

Somehow, between Monday’s snow and today’s massive snowfall (10 inches and counting so far) the delivery was scheduled for yesterday…the only snow-free day so far this week.

The delivery guys were a bit strange…no small talk with these rather unhappy, cigarette smoking delivery men. I liked the first two guys that delivered the wrong size bed better. Scowls from the first guy, hemming and hawing about whether he could get the bed up the stairs. (I always knew they could.) Don ended up helping them with the mattress and I helped them with the box springs.

itcame

And there it is. As soon as they left, Don and I fell on the bed, just like little kids. We love it. Although I always seem to take a couple of days to adjust to a new bed. This bed’s pillow top is such a contrast to what we had that it will take some getting used to.

I plan to make a slipcover for that headboard with the fabric that was on the old headboard. Wait and see.

Here it is, dressed in its finest. At least so far.

bed2

I got the coverlet from Garnet Hill – a one day sale at half off. That price was about $60. Though I had wanted something aqua, this was such a good deal that I went for it. And I find myself really liking the gold. The texture is silky and gorgeous. It warms up the room so beautifully.

I bought a longer dust ruffle, which I was afraid would be too long. But it works! Overstock, about $28.

bed4

bed3

The throw pillow on the left: HomeGoods, $20. The one on the right I already had. The quilt? You know all about that. My only complaint is about the sheets, which are Rachel Ashwell/Target sheets. I love that they are cotton and they are extremely cool to the touch, which makes this woman who runs hot very happy. The fitted sheet is great. But why the heck do top sheets always run small? This has happened to me more than once. I can barely tuck in it on the sides of the bed. This is a 12 1/2 inch deep mattress, but most beds nowadays are that deep. Maybe top sheet sizes should be rethought? Just a suggestion, Rachel Ashwell.

Delivery was around 3:00, so these photos were taken later in the day.

What do you think?

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: bedroom, decorating 83 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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